Today is the first day of SITEX 2009. Beg Fan's tip is that we either go on the first or the last day, that's where the deals are. My budget (or rather, Ayah's budget) was below $1K, so I had to squeeze whatever I could within that budget. Armed with a copy of The Straits Times, I read aloud the technical specifications of various laptop models as Beg Fan drove there, and he was keen on checking out the MSI and Asus booths, while I was getting lost in a sea of technical jibby-jabby-speak. Heck, I don't even know the difference between a netbook and a notebook! Beg Fan was getting exasperated explaining to me the pros and cons of various hardware devices. Meh.
Anyway, to cut the story short, the Acer booth caught our eye for one of the best deals we've found. However, there were several Acer booths selling the same model, the Acer Aspire 4937-653G32Mn. One booth was giving away more freebies, while Harvey-Norman offered cheaper 3-year warranty. In the end , we went with Harvey-Norman's Acer booth... we decided that the warranty was more important than mere freebies, which would be rather cheap anyway, and besides, we had referred to the same salesgirl several times as we cross-referred with the other booths, and we had raised her hopes. So off I go then... $899 + additional $92 = $991 for another 2 years of warranty, taking the total warranty years to 3.
Of course, I wasn't gonna purchase the laptop without haggling for some freebies. And this is where Beg Fan the Pro was in his element. He made it blatantly clear to the salesgirl that he was about to make his decision, and the only thing that would sway his decision were the 'sweeteners' they could offer. So after talking to her boss, the girl offered us a set of Sensonic headphones, external Sensonic Speakers, an optical Sensonic Mouse, laptop bag, and a Genius cooling fan, along with the Norman Security Suite Antivirus CD which was a standard free gift. Not bad, not bad at all.
In fact... I could have pursued for another free gift, a rather expensive one I might add, an external 230GB hard-disk! When settling the paperwork, the salesgirl had accidentally written down the hard-disk as part of our freebies, and since it was in black-and-white, and I had already signed the forms, technically I'm entitled to that item. However, the salesgirl apologized profusely, and Beg Fan and me decided to let it go, as she looked a little young, it was an honest mistake, and she'd probably get f*cked by her boss and made to cover the cost of that item out of her own pay, which I guessed wasn't very much.
True enough, after the purchase, I took time out to talk to the girl. Turns out she was a 17-year old poly student who was working part-time at the event, and her commission per sale was a pitiful $5, on top of her hourly pay. I'm glad I didn't pursue the matter though, or else she'll be working at a loss =( My conscience is clear. Now, had that been a full-time salesperson though...
Of course after buying this, I asked, urged, and pestered Someone to go pay SITEX a visit to get her laptop there. And Someone DID get a laptop there too!
Product description:
- Simply cinematic!
- The Aspire 4937 generates awesome movie playback on its LED-backlit display with 16:9 aspect ratio and 1366 x 768 pixel resolution. What's more, LED backlight technology increases readability in low-light conditions and consumes less power. This notebook's 8 ms response time enables nice-quality moving images, while multi-channel audio and amazing movie effects come courtesy of 2nd Generation Dolby®-optimized surround sound and the optional Blu-ray Disc™ drive.
- Breeze through it all
- The latest processor technology and abundant memory ensure ultra-smooth operation, while a large hard disk drive lets you keep everything you want. Expand your storage options with the eSATA interface and share files easily using the 6-in-1 card reader. When on the road, you're sure to stay in crisp-clear contact via Wi-Fi®, WiMAX™ (depending on model) or Gigabit Ethernet and Acer Video Conference, featuring the high-def Acer Crystal Eye webcam and optional Acer Xpress VoIP phone.
I bought the deal circled in red
Freebies from left: Sensonic headphones, Genius cooler fans, Sensonic external speakers, Sensonic optical mouse, Norman Security Suite Antivirus CDClick here for detailed tech specs
2 major purchases in 2 days. ALHAMDULILLAH =)
